Match Report
59 points for Urawa Reds (7th), 64 for Vissel Kobe (5th): a 5-point gap. On recent form Vissel Kobe sat only 13th league-wide over the last five rounds, well short of their 5th overall. Scoring rates set the scale: Urawa Reds 1.18 scored and 1.03 conceded per game, Vissel Kobe 1.21 and 0.87, with the league averaging 1.2.
A win had eluded Urawa Reds for 6 matches. Vissel Kobe came in having won four on the spin. The last-five ledger: Urawa Reds 2/15, Vissel Kobe 13/15.
9 previous meetings sit in the GioScore records — Urawa Reds 5, draws 3, Vissel Kobe 1, at 2 goals per meeting. Hosting has counted for little in this fixture — the home side has won only 33% of those meetings. These meetings skew tight — only 33% saw more than two goals.
The match was played at Saitama Stadium 2002 (capacity 63,700). It was 0-0 at the break, and the second half added 1 goal for the 1-0 full-time score.
Goal scorers
Urawa Reds: Isaac Kiese Thelin (47')
Key stats
Possession: Urawa Reds 49% · Vissel Kobe 51% · Total shots: 17-14 · On target: 2-4 · Corners: 5-7